VICTORIA, Seychelles — Vice-President Sébastien Pillay on Wednesday opened the first multi-stakeholder Science, Technology and Innovation Forum in Seychelles, telling delegates that the three-day event must move beyond discussion and end with an actionable STI Strategy Whitepaper for the country.
The forum, hosted at the Savoy Seychelles Resort and Spa, runs alongside the inaugural National Innovation Fair and the first Innovation Award Scheme, all framed as part of the 50th independence anniversary programme. The two flagship outputs are designed to position science, technology and innovation as central pillars of economic diversification and resilience for the small island state.
In his keynote, the vice-president thanked the international delegations that had travelled from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia, including members of the Seychellois diaspora. His remarks framed innovation as a vehicle for leapfrogging development constraints rather than an end in itself.
Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation Xavier Estico set the agenda in his opening statement. The forum, he said, was designed to align policy, data, talent, capital and international partnerships behind a coherent STI strategy that would extend beyond 2026, replacing the existing 2016–2025 framework. Its conclusions would feed a Whitepaper that positions Seychelles as a confident and forward-looking innovation leader among small island developing states.
Lindy Leon, chief executive of the National Institute for Science, Technology and Innovation (NISTI), described the gathering as a working platform rather than a showcase. Its job, she explained, was to bring together government, industry, academia and international partners for practical discussions on how to deliver measurable outcomes. Two objectives are anchoring the work. The first focuses on citizen benefit, with sessions on food security, digital health and the circular economy. The second looks at foreign direct investment opportunities, particularly in space and geolocation, maritime and ocean innovation, and the digital economy.
Ms Leon stressed that strong governance and data sovereignty are not constraints on the innovation agenda but enablers of trust, partnership and sustainable growth. NISTI’s role, she added, is to support the drafting of a national STI Policy and Roadmap, with implementation built in from the start.
The Seychelles STI framework is moving in step with international reviews. A 2024 UNCTAD Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Review of Seychelles recommended updating the 2016–2025 strategy to reflect Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, open science and the growing role of the private sector and civil society in STI governance. It also called for a National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund and stronger participation in regional and global STI processes, including the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development and the UN STI Forum.
The Seychelles delegation has begun to carry that brief abroad. At the Africa Forward Summit 2026 in Nairobi earlier this month, themed around Africa–France partnerships for innovation and growth, Vice-President Pillay linked innovation to energy transition and climate finance, arguing that small island states need predictable finance and stronger regulatory frameworks to attract investment in innovation and clean infrastructure.
The three-day forum is expected to produce concrete recommendations for the post-2025 STI architecture, with sessions continuing through Friday at the Savoy resort. NISTI and the STI Hub Secretariat, which fall under the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, will coordinate the next steps.
📷 Photo: European Space Agency (Copernicus Sentinel-2) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 IGO
Source: SN
